NHK in 8K project with British Museum

Japan’s NHK public broadcaster is to work with the British Museum on an 8K video project featuring the mysteries of the acclaimed Edo period woodblock artist Katsushika Hokusai.

Hokusai’s works are world-famous and have wielded influence across the arts from the paintings of Monet and other Impressionists to the musical works of Debussy.

NHK says the British Museum is keenly interested in the possibilities of 8K, ultra-high definition imaging technology and this co-production was initiated by an approach from the museum. The 8K camera will film Clear Day with a Southern Breeze (Gaifu Kaisei, also known as the Red Fuji) from the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series and the painting Chinzei Hachiro Tametomo Zu (Japan’s warrior hero Tametomo and the inhabitants of Onoshima island), both in the British Museum’s own collection, as well as other Hokusai works held in museums and private collections around the world. A team led by British Museum will provide expert commentary based on the images.

The programme will be shown this autumn in 8K as well as on the BS (Broadcast Satellite) Premium service.